Free Workshop Offered to Papio Kinetic Sculpture Parade Participants
A free workshop offering technical information on kinetic know-how, kinetic ideas and resources to support float-building will be offered Saturday, April 2, from 10a.m. to 1p.m. at Coast, 6404 Front Street, Stock Island, for individuals and teams planning to peddle or perambulate in the upcoming inaugural Papio Kinetic Sculpture Parade, a three-day celebration of art bikes and human-powered moving sculpture set for May 13-15, 2016.
Created and presented by the Key West Art & Historical Society, the parade is inspired by and named for the late Keys artist Stanley Papio, a humorous rebel metal-artist who explored the value of recycled materials long before it was hip to be rusty. The workshop will give float builders the opportunity to learn about the many kinetic possibilities and how to implement them along with various options for attaining materials needed to develop these ideas.
“The concept is fantastic,” commented Alison Higgins, Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Key West. “I’ve always been a big re-user, to the point of hoarding, so it’s exciting to have an event that is dedicated to the use of found objects.”
Higgins is part of a kinetic sculpture float team that includes Gabe Price, Jacqueline Luhta, Kelly Perkins and Dee Dee Green. Their entry, “Awesoma the Narwhal Queen,” has a four-wheeled bike as its foundation.
“Her narwhal horn is going to twirl, her big eyelashes will flutter, and her tail will wave. From tip to tail she will be covered in a wide variety of reused and recycled items that will challenge spectators to identify when they see her,” added Higgins.
Participation in the family-friendly cavalcade of totally human-powered works of art is “open to teams of any size and to anyone, regardless of age or artistic level, willing to create a kinetic sculpture or art bike,” says Key West Art & Historical Society Executive Director Michael Gieda.
Builders, assemblers, geek engineers and creative geniuses who like to tinker with wheels, old bikes, gears and pulleys, nuts and bolts can find more information and register at http://papioskineticparade.com/register.
Supported in part by The Knight Foundation Knight Arts Challenge, The Helmerich Trust, the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. For more information about this free workshop and the Papio Kinetic Sculpture Parade, contact Adele Williams, Director of Education, at 305-295-6616, ext. 106.